Long after Jayson Tatum slipped on his sunglasses while holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy and teammate Luke Kornet flailed at a traffic light from atop a duck boat as the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics paraded through the streets, green and white confetti covered every corner of downtown.
A party on a summer Friday, as it should be.
The narrative around Boston is that the city’s teams win too much. Young fans who never experienced the pre-dynasty days don’t get it. But why’s that bad?
A few hours on a sunny Friday bookended one of the best seasons for an NBA team in recent memory. Those few hours also brought hundreds of thousands of people together for a good time.
That’s not so bad.
Trading my journalist hat for a Celtics cap this playoff run reminded me what role sports serve for so many of us at-large. They bring us together, give us something to follow and serve as the beating heart of a city.
Boston loves this team. Finals tickets soared well north of $1,000 for the balcony seats at any home game. Securing even a standing spot at a bar near the TD Garden for the clinching Game 5 required a three-plus hour entrance before tipoff.
Maybe it’s the youth. Maybe it’s the, mostly, homegrown talent. And summer vibes never hurt. I’m not quite sure what it is, but everyone around grew fond of this team.
Some fans arrived at the parade more than four hours before its official 11 a.m. start. We stood four, five, sometimes six people deep to get a glimpse of the parade.
Plenty of chants. Enough with the “Kyrie sucks,” already. Fans climbed poles. One cracked a beer on his head. Questionable move, but I can appreciate the passion.
Because today felt like a holiday in Boston. We have the 2023-24 Celtics to thank.
